English
Język Polski
Depopulation as a Long-term Policy Problem: From Dilemmas to Strategies
Magdalena Jelonek
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0321-0209Stanisław Mazur
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0747-9363Abstract
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The scientific objective of this article is to analyse strategies for urban decision-makers to address the dilemmas of depopulation. The theoretical framework for the article is the typology of long-term policy problem-solving dilemmas by Pot et al. (2022).
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The authors answer the question of how public administration officials are responding to the challenge of regional depopulation, what dilemmas they face in the process, and whether patterns can be detected in their preferred solutions. To answer these questions, the authors rely on qualitative research findings ‒ in-depth interviews (IDI) performed with mayors of Polish cities liable to depopulation and their direct subordinates.
THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: How policymakers navigate specific long-term challenges is contingent upon, inter alia, their resolution of the ensuing pivotal dilemmas.
RESEARCH RESULTS: The strategies followed by municipalities are strongly affected by contextual factors inclusive of the monetary scenario, the character of the metropolis and its hyperlinks with other city centres, the connection with the government, or even the management style represented by means of the mayor. An aggregate of 3 styles seems to predominate, i.e. making an investment in targets, the responsive, and the reactive ones.
CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Two challenges, which we call meta-dilemmas, are particularly relevant for local government in Poland: the meta-dilemma of defining the functions of local government and the dilemma of agency. Resolving them determines the decision of policy when dealing with strategic dilemmas.
Keywords
depopulation ; long-term policy problems ; policy dilemmas ; policy strategies
Details
References
Indicators
Authors
Zasady cytowania
Licence
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a CC BY-ND licence that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are asked to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access). We advise to use any of the following reserach society portals: